On May 14, the Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov addressed the Organization of Islamic Cooperation forum on the occasion of Kazan's designation as the cultural capital of the Islamic world. This was reported by an online newspaper «Turkmenistan: Golden age».
"We view this meeting as a good opportunity to intensify multilateral dialogue in the cultural and humanitarian sphere, viewing it as an important factor in ensuring sustainable development, strengthening mutual understanding between peoples, and promoting a culture of peace," a Chairman of a Halk Maslahaty noted.
"It is of particular significance to us that in March 2026, Turkmenistan sent an official letter requesting observer status in ICECCO," the National Leader of the Turkmen People emphasized. We view joining this important international organization as a significant stage in the development of Turkmenistan's international cooperation in education, science, and culture. In this regard, the Hero-Arkadag expressed confidence that this creates a new, additional platform for our country's systematic and multi-faceted participation in programs, the exchange of best practices, and the further strengthening of cooperation with the Organization's member states.
In this context, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty presented a number of specific proposals aimed at providing creative impetus and guidelines for further joint work.
Speaking about historical heritage, the Hero-Arkadag emphasized that Turkmenistan proposes to begin developing a long-term ISESCO Strategy for the Preservation and Enrichment of the Cultural and Historical Heritage of Islamic Countries. In this regard, it was noted that it would be appropriate to focus not only on study and research, but also on the active promotion of Islamic cultural heritage through the creation of literary and journalistic works, cinematography, virtual museums, galleries, and other widely accessible online platforms.
Having acknowledged the importance of education and enlightenment, the National Leader of the Turkmen people announced that our country is putting forward an initiative to launch a large-scale program, «Islamic Poetic Dialogue: Wisdom and Connection of the Ages».
The goal of the project is to broadly and systematically introduce the public in our country and other countries to the best works of Islamic poetic and philosophical heritage, from antiquity to the modern period. The historical peculiarity of Islamic philosophical thought is its lyrical and poetic expression, stated the Hero-Arkadag. As a first step, it was proposed to consider creating a «World Anthology of Islamic Poetry», which would include works by prominent poets, thinkers, and philosophers of the Muslim world, as well as those authors who identify with Islam, the Islamic cultural code, and worldview.
Continuing his speech, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan noted that Turkmenistan is putting forward an initiative for the Diplomacy of Smart Cities of the Islamic World. We believe that in a number of our countries, including our own, the creation of «smart» cities as a public policy area is actively developing.
Today, the concept of a «smart» city is a fusion of intelligence,
Reaffirming Turkmenistan's commitment to the principles of peace and creativity, cultural diversity, and sustainable development, the National Leader of the Turkmen people expressed his conviction that education, science, and culture are universal values capable of uniting states and peoples.
Turkmenistan is ready to continue to contribute to the development of intercivilizational dialogue, strengthening trust and mutual understanding, and actively participating in the promotion of humanistic ideals and values in interstate relations, stated the Hero-Arkadag, expressing confidence that the results of the 15th session of the ISESCO General Conference will contribute to the achievement of these goals.
Noting the importance of the proposals voiced by the Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan, the forum participants fully supported them.
